A fast-rising prospect with valuable professional experience, Vitali Kravtsov's smooth, speedy skating game and fast hands are going to be hard to ignore outside of the first 10 picks on the heels of an impressive finish to the season that saw him capture the Aleksei Cherepanov Award as the Kontinental Hockey League's Best Rookie.
Kravtsov's draft year trajectory was slow-going at first, but ultimately became what scouts wanted to see. After missing seven weeks at the start of the season with a broken wrist, the polished offensive talent gradually proved effective with Traktor Chelyabinsk, closing strong with back-to-back Rookie of the Month honors in March and April.
On the surface, Kravtsov's seven points (4+3) in 35 regular season games seem rather pedestrian before realizing how limited his minutes were. Kravtsov took it to a different level with an increased work load in the post-season, though, nabbing six goals, including five power-play markers and one game winner, and 11 points in 16 contests to rocket up draft boards.
What's compelling about Kravtsov, who is a left shot that generally plays the off-wing, isn't just the fast shot release and nimble skating skill packed in his 6-foot-2, 170-pound frame, but also the grit he displays in all three zones.
Playing against older competition this season, the 18-year-old showed that he is fully engaged with a persistent power-style game and willing to do the dirty work in the high-traffic areas to make plays. He's not just productive, but he's also highly intelligent, and all signs points to Kravtsov embracing the physical end of things even more once he develops a greater level of strength.
The foundation to become a scoring line winger is seemingly in place, so the next developmental stages, which will likely involve a major role at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship, will need to see him coached into completing his game when he's not producing offense. The forechecking intensity is where it needs to be, so scouts now want to see a fully committed Kravtsov consistently backtrack with equal effort.
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For more on all the youngsters in the Sabres pipeline, check out Kris Baker's website, SabresProspects.com. You can also follow him on Twitter (@SabresProspects).
